How Digital Forensics can Uncover Fraud at your Organization.

Source: Integrity Asia

Internet and information technology tools pervade all parts of life, enabling people to interact, network, access information, and learn in new, better, and faster ways. However, technology is a double-edged sword. It gives convenience but also opens more doors for criminals to commit any form of fraud, such as financial fraud, asset theft, tax evasion, and data fraud, just to name a few.

Organizations should utilize relevant technology to collect all available and related digital supporting evidence to prove that fraud has been committed.

Search for or recovering of evidence

Evidence is critical in exposing and proving a fraud case. Personal devices store histories of the owner’s behaviors, including personal email, a note on a personal device, a cloud-based document, etc., which are basically digital trails that can shed light on a fraud case and can be used as evidence.

When an employee is suspected of fraud, investigators may find themselves with no clues after conducting a comprehensive investigation. Hence, digital forensic examination of the suspect’s devices may be required.

Let’s take a case of procurement fraud involving a fictitious vendor, for instance. Evidence is needed to prove that the suspect is involved as the owner or at least as a beneficial party. In this case, digital forensics can be done by examining the suspect’s device and analyzing emails, documents, including invoices, which may be found to have been created on the device and in editable form. Also, it is commonly found for a fraudster to falsify evidence, such as editing a screenshot of a message. With digital forensics, this can be investigated to prove authenticity.

A fraudster may attempt to destroy evidence or erase his digital trails. Digital forensics is a rapidly growing field that entails not only searching but also recovering the destroyed data from digital devices to become admissible evidence in court. Data recovered from devices often serve as the foundation of an investigation. This is because typical data on a device can reveal much more information than one might first think of.

While some lost data are difficult to identify in their entirety, thanks to digital forensics, investigators are now able to utilize cutting edge tools to identify file metadata, such as the file creator, when the file was last created, when it was last accessed, etc. By examining the device activity, it is possible to uncover leads that point to crucial facts.

Challenges of digital evidence

It is important to note that digital evidence is volatile in nature because it is subject to change. Given that fact, the courts only admit evidence if its handling is in accordance with applicable forensic rules.

Having digital evidence at hand does not mean it will be readily admissible upon the court. Therefore, handling the digital evidence is critical. Mishandling of digital evidence during the acquisition can result in the court rejecting it.

Digital evidence must meet at least two criteria to be admissible, particularly in Indonesian courts: it must have a digital signature and follow a chain of custody procedure. Hence, it is essential that digital forensics be performed only by an experienced and certified specialist.

Team work

Digital forensic specialists should work with other investigative specialists. Forensic accounting investigators, for example, can assist digital forensic investigators by using specific keywords on computers or other digital media devices to save time and effort during the investigation and then sort out and interpret the gathered data.

Organizations of all sizes, particularly those with a high number of devices and data, require and rely on digital forensics to stay up with the rapid advancement of technology and the sophisticated crimes that accompany it.

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Dear SwissCham valued members,

Season’s Greetings!

It’s hard to believe that 2021 is almost upon us, as we start to come together with family and friends whether face-to-face or online, I wish you a safe and enjoyable festive time.

2021 is a special year for us, where we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Switzerland and Indonesia diplomatic relations, we welcome the entry into force of Indonesia-EFTA CEPA, and the first time Switzerland entered into the top five list FDI in Indonesia in the first quarter of the year.

This year has been a year of change and resilience where we are able to deliver our mission and support our members’ needs. As a chamber, we completed the annual general meeting and are ready to move forward with an approved program for 2022 and a strong financial position.

This issue will cover the important achievements as above, the special appreciation to Mr. Wolfgang Schanzenbach, one of the initiators behind the founding of the chamber, highlights the chamber’s achievement through sectoral group activities, highlights of members’ achievements and also a warm welcome to our new members; PT. CNC Disain Nusantara, and Renewable Energy Skills Development (RESD) Project.

On behalf of board members, I would like to extend our gratitude to our members for your continuous support and contribution to the chamber in this very special year of the Switzerland – Indonesia relationship.

I wish you and your family an enjoyable festive season and a healthy and relaxing holiday. We look forward to continuing working and collaborating with you in an exciting 2022!

Chris Bendl

Chairman

Dear Valued Members, friends and families,

As the end of the year draws near, we would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your continued trust, support, and contributions. 

This year was a special one for the Swiss-Indonesia relationship. We truly enjoyed the exciting work we carried out this year, hosting a wide range of events and achieving new milestones with you. 

This year’s Q4 highlights and activities are featured here. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with all the latest news and activities. Also, make sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Here’s a fun idea to try this holiday season- send Christmas greetings using our filter! We guarantee smiles all around!

Thank you for being such an integral part of our growth in 2021 – we look forward to reaching new heights and successes with you! Until then, have a wonderful holiday season!

Mr. Wolfgang Schanzenbach will retire from the Swiss Business Hub Indonesia (SBH), which is part of the Embassy of Switzerland in Jakarta starting June 2022. Here, he shares below his journey from growing up in Switzerland, his professional carrier milestones until settling down in Jakarta.

Wolfgang will step down as the head of SBH Indonesia in May 2022, leaving a solid footprint in the Swiss business ecosystem in Indonesia in form of a well-established Swiss Business Hub Indonesia and a robust Indonesia SwissCham.

The 65-year-old will return to Switzerland and formally retire with his wife Yvonne at the beautiful Lake Zurich.

From Switzerland to Indonesia

Growing up in Thalwil, a Swiss village located 15 minutes outside of Zürich, Wolfgang Schanzenbach dreamed of exploring the world by becoming an astronaut or pilot. When he matured a little more, he realised that being a chef on a cruise ship could also become an entry door to fulfil his dreams. 

He went on to sign an apprenticeship agreement with Mövenpick restaurant group. However, the stressful working environment and irregular kitchen shift led him to think twice and he subsequently asked his father to cancel the contract.

After a transition year at school, he finally entered the international business arena with a leading Swiss freight & logistics company. He is a believer in lifelong learning, so he joined the “University of Life” which took him all around the world. His passion for travel and learning was underpinned by the motto he subscribed to; carpe diem– enjoy every day as if it would be your last one.

His first business trip brought him to Algeria, Northern Africa, where he was in charge of a project to build up a local TV production site. These initial experiences with the African continent also motivated him to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest mountain, at the age of 22.

Then, in the early 1980s, he made his inaugural business trip to Asia, visiting the famous Canton Fair, nowadays called Guangzhou. Shenzhen at that time was a little fishing village. Since then, Wolfgang has spent almost 40 years working and living in Asia. He traveled so frequently to this region he has accumulated nearly two million mileage points with Swiss International Airline.

The numerous trips to Asia spurred a fascination towards Southeast Asia, and he became a frequent visitor from the early to mid-1990s as a member of the DKSH Group. With their growing economies, these multicultural and multifaceted nations offered endless business opportunities. 

In 2010, he was delighted to find himself in Jakarta to attend a regional ambassador conference on behalf of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), the Swiss government-backed trade and investment promotion agency. 

Setting up a Swiss-Ecosystem in Indonesia

Against the backdrop of ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations, Wolfgang started to encourage the Swiss government and other stakeholders to invest in new Swiss Business Hub (SBH) offices across the region, especially in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy. 

In 2017, he finally received the green light to open the 22^nd SBH office in Jakarta in June 2017. Wolfgang was nominated to lead the team and to make sure Indonesia gets finally on the map of Swiss exporting companies.

The former Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia regularly hosted the “CEO breakfast meetings” for Swiss company representatives. During one session, Wolfgang asked the participating CEOs what they needed most. 

A soon conducted survey revealed that many were looking for a common networking and advocacy platform – and the idea for Indonesia SwissCham emerged. Wolfgang was invited to form a task force to finalise a project proposal covering legal frame conditions, cost estimates and rough timelines for the soon-to-be Indonesia SwissCham.

Together with Luthfi Mardiansyah, who would become the first Chairman, and Chris Bendl, his today’s successor, the team produced a joint project plan presented during the next “CEO Breakfast Meeting”.

Participants welcomed the proposal, and the event raised more than US$100,000 financial commitments on the spot! The hard work could finally start. Despite inevitable bureaucratic hurdles, the team successfully collected all the stamps and documents necessary. The inaugural annual general meeting took place on August 1, 2018, coincided with Switzerland’s National Day. 

More than thirty members attended the gathering and approved financial budgets, Articles of Association, Deed of Establishment and proposed an organizational structure. 

Through excellent teamwork and a typically pragmatic Swiss approach, Indonesia SwissCham was officially born – moreover, the mission was accomplished in less than four months! 

Since then, three years have passed, and Indonesia SwissCham has grown to nearly 70 members. It offers quality services to its members and has a committed board supported by an effective organisational structure. It also enjoys a very close cooperation with the Swiss Embassy in Jakarta, and finally yet importantly, is financially very stable despite difficult frame conditions (pandemic).

Besides that, the third relevant platform, Swiss Centre Indonesia (SCI) launched in 2019, offering one-stop services to incoming companies to explore the Indonesian market before either setting up a PT PMA or committing with a local partner. The SCI is wholly owned and managed by three Swiss citizens who run businesses in Indonesia and complements the local Swiss Ecosystem together with the Embassy/SBH Indonesia, and Indonesia SwissCham.

Wolfgang has truly enjoyed his time in Indonesia, both professionally and personally. He is now ready to embark on a new journey,  by getting involved in two to three possible ventures in his home country, with fun as the priority factor.

He wishes the entire SwissEcosystem continued success, sustainable growth, and many more happy companies and individual members, and offers these concluding remarks: “keep going for service excellence”.

Some interesting trivia about Wolfgang Schanzenbach:

1. His hobbies are tennis, golf, alpine skiing, hiking and wining & dining with friends.
2. His travel bucket list are the three “I’s”: Island, Ireland and Israel.
3. His fashion style: Italian designer icons like Armani and Zegna inspire him with their classic and timeless designs.
4. What does he unnecessarily spend a large amount of money for? Swiss-made watches and handbags for his wife.
5. A dream guest list for a dinner party (max. 5 people): King Roger Federer and GOAT tennis player whose career he closely witnessed during the last twenty years; the late actor Charles Bronson who was his “action hero” in the early days; the late Freddy Mercury, lead singer of Queen – who remains his absolute favourite pop group to this day; Charlize Theron with her classically elegant beauty; and last but not least, golfer Freddie Couples whose seamless and simple swing always impresses him.
6. Did you know that he played the clarinet when he was younger? He was also an active boy scout and a Catamaran (Tornado class) skipper.
7. What ticks does he have? Life is too short not to enjoy a well-prepared meal with quality wine, a Cuban cigar, and a glass of vintage port.
8. He is most afraid of being stuck in an elevator or undergoing MRI treatment, due to his claustrophobia.
9. He is grateful for pain-free days. After having undergone more than a dozen surgeries and managing several ongoing “construction sites” daily, waking up in the morning feeling fit is already a blessing and a good start to a new day.
10. His highlights in Indonesia include; Personally: celebrating his 60^th birthday with ten other close friends on a Phinisi (wooden) sailing boat and cruising along the famous Flores islands. Professionally: to have contributed to Indonesia coming into the radar of Swiss companies, which nowadays can bank on a variety of platforms for an easier settlement.
11. His one tip to the younger generation: to stay humble, don’t take anything for granted and contribute to society through your personal initiatives.

Indonesia SwissCham has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with the Swiss government agency Swisscontact, which is implementing the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)-funded Skills for Competitiveness (S4C) project in partnership with the Industry Ministry’s Industrial Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMI).

Following the LoI signing, SwissCham also facilitated the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between SwissCham member companies and three S4C partner polytechnic institutes to bring experience and know-how to vocational education and training. This momentum builds on an earlier MOU that had been signed between the Indonesian and Swiss governments on Jan. 26, 2018 in Davos, Switzerland.

The MoU signing ceremony was attended and witnessed by the Swiss Ambassador to Indonesia, Kurt Kunz.

Switzerland is known for its strong dual Vocational Education and Training (dVET) system, based on a tradition of operational excellence working closely with the private sector to contribute to creating a competent workforce. To date, the country maintains a strong industry-driven dVET system, which is one of the key qualities of the Swiss economy.

Following the LoI signing, Buehler, Endress+Hauser, Givaudan, Indesso Primata, and Sicpa Peruri Securink joined hands to sign a MoU with three S4C partner polytechnic institutes, namely Jember State Polytechnic, Metal Industry Polytechnic of Morowali and Bantaeng Manufacturing Industry Community Academy.

fWith their long history and experience in dVET, the Swiss government and the Swiss companies are committed to continuously strengthening the quality and relevance of the polytechnic system in Indonesia.

The S4C project was born out of a direct demand for support from the Indonesian government to address the demand supply mismatch in the labor market and the skills mismatch through reinforcement of the relationship between the education system and local industry.

Its overall objective is to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of Indonesian industry in selected sectors through better-qualified professionals educated at five vocational education institutions, in sustainable cooperation with the private sector.

The project is built on two components; school development and system strengthening. This includes strengthening of school management capacities with a focus on industrial relations, supporting the development of teaching “factories” within the polytechnics, development of a teaching approach on dual training, and the upgrading and strengthening of teaching capacities.

Head of human capital sectoral group and vice chairman Indonesia SwissCham Henry Chia noted that the growing Indonesian economy will need not just more young people in the workforce, but better-trained ones, all the way from the shop floor to the top floor.

“The need for this is echoed well under the Making Indonesia 4.0 framework. Swiss companies operating in Indonesia highly value well practically trained professionals and are fully aware that the responsibility for the transfer of knowledge is in the hands of the industries and not the government. SwissCham members see the opportunity to form synergy by linking vocational schools that provide the students and companies with its technologies and resources, and a proven VET system adopted from Swiss institutions, could open up new space for more effective collaboration, benefiting all and to fuel Indonesia’s economic growth,” he explained.

Since the 1970s, Switzerland has been working with Indonesia in upskilling its workforce, which has resulted in a positive recognition by government partners and the public. Some of the key institutions supported include the National Hotel Institute (NHI Bandung) known today as STP Bandung, Politeknik Mekanik Swiss (PMS Bandung), known today as POLMAN Bandung; the Poly Development Center (PEDC in Bandung); Vocational Education Development Center (VEDC Malang) and the Training Center for Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) Teachers; as well as Polytechnik Akademi Teknik Mesin Industri (ATMI) Solo, partially supported by the Swiss government.

Arus Gunawan, the head of the BPSDMI, said in his remarks that in order to develop the nation’s human capital, Indonesia will require major reforms to its education and vocational institutions.

“Enhancing the quality and relevance of vocational graduates to meet the needs of the private sector from both the vocational school and polytechnic levels will be an important success factor in enhancing global competitiveness, further reducing the skills mismatch and youth unemployment and contributing to a more competitive Indonesian economy. We have learned from the best and greatly appreciate the Swiss government’s commitment to sharing their expertise with us,” he continued.

From the private sector perspective, there are a number of collaboration opportunities to explore. This includes building up or expanding companies’ internal skills training programs, partnering with a training institution (polytechnics or vocational schools) along with a link and match program to do a dual training program. One of the signature programs was providing on-the-job training opportunities for teachers, instructors and students to gain practical insight experience, as well as assigning professionals from companies to be guest lecturers while engaging in curriculum-development processes.

“SwissCham and member companies are committed to supporting the government of Indonesia in developing its human capital and achieving operational excellence in industry. With more engagement, we can bring experience and know-how to vocational education and strengthen the competitiveness of the Indonesian economy,” Henry concluded.

Recently celebrating their 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Indonesia and Switzerland are strengthening their ties as partners for growth, marked by stronger diplomacy, the long-awaited beginning of the Indonesia – EFTA Comprehensive Economic Agreement and bilateral trade higher than ever before.

Switzerland and Indonesia are at an exciting point in history. Commemorating its 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two nations are marching forward as partners in progress, marked by a bilateral trade higher than ever before, and a heightened state of trusted diplomacy. 

To signify both countries’ strengthening ties, Switzerland has made it to the top five in the list of biggest investors in Indonesia for the first time this year. With a total of 118 projects worth $446.2 million, the investment contributes approximately 6.1 percent of the total foreign investment in Q1 2021 – a vast rise compared to last year’s investment of $130.9 million from 554 projects, covering a wide range of industries, with food and beverage industry being the biggest contributor. 

Looking at the rising trade relations between Switzerland and Indonesia, the Swiss-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (SwissCham) is adamant to foster closer relationships with business communities, government, and all stakeholders based on mutual trust and respect across a wide range of sectors. 

SwissCham is a Swiss and Indonesian Business Association with objective of enabling businesses to connect and excel in Indonesia and Switzerland. Its role is to provide access to a networking platform with a broad range of events, services and benefits to facilitate both corporations and individuals to discover business opportunities and establish valuable connections. 

Other than advocating Swiss Business in Indonesia, SwissCham is committed also to bridge bilateral interest between the two nations. Thus in October 2020, the organization launched SwissCham Sectoral Groups: Ease of Doing Business; Fiscal, Custom and Excise; Human Capital Development; and Sustainability & Innovation to support the commitment through various activities 

As of now, the sectoral groups have conducted a series of initiatives consist of 17 public webinars and public discussions, six advocacy meetings with Indonesian government officials, as well as  CSR program. 

Bringing the Relationship into a New Level 

Meanwhile, in diplomatic areas, as part of the economic strategy for Indonesia, we have seen real progress made on the comprehensive economic partnership deal between Indonesia and four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that have been going since 2010.

The comprehensive economic partnership deal is part of Indonesia-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IE-CEPA), which concluded in 2018. The agreement aims to improve market access by removing trade barriers on both sides, opening more business-to-business prospects across a wide range of sectors while at the same time promoting the protection of intellectual property rights.

Thus, the year 2021 is very special for the bilateral relationship between Switzerland and Indonesia, ranging from politics, culture, education, to economy. This year will not only mark the beginning of the Indonesia – EFTA Comprehensive Economic Agreement on November 1, 2021, but the milestone also coincides nicely with the 70th anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Switzerland and Indonesia dated back in November 2, 1951.

Taking great strides to support the Indonesian market

Switzerland is taking great strides to prove its commitment to provide best capabilities to support the Indonesian market. This is marked by the strategic partnership between the business communities in Switzerland and Indonesia to develop potential collaboration based on Switzerland key capabilities.

Going forward with the momentum, Indonesia SwissCham offers a new approach in addressing business challenges through advocacy, knowledge sharing, and collaboration with its sectoral groups.

“We intend to be the leading platform to leverage innovation and operational excellence of Swiss companies to contribute to the betterment of the Indonesian economy. I firmly believe that with our joint efforts, the long tradition of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect between our two great countries will be deepened further in the years ahead,” said SwissCham’s Chairman, Chris Bendl.

Bendl noted that with a relatively young age, the chamber has become an invaluable link between business with Swiss connections and the Government of Switzerland and Indonesia.  

“A hearty congratulation on celebrating 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the two great countries Switzerland & Indonesia, and best wishes for the further development of our existing multifaceted cooperation to move forward to a stronger relation in the coming years.”

PT Anugerah Pharmindo Lestari (APL), a member of Zuellig Pharma, a leading healthcare services company in Indonesia, has been awarded with the ‘Community Initiative’ and ‘Outstanding Leader in Asia’ for APL’s President Director, Christophe Piganiol, at the recent Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability (ACES) Awards. Held annually, the ACES Awards is a prestigious international accolade that recognises inspiring leaders, sustainability advocates as well as businesses’ contributions to their communities and the world.

The title was presented to APL for leading the programmes that contribute significantly to the community, having clear objectives and high level of involvement from employees and top management in its sustainability programmes, and having a strong alignment with its core business activities.

APL’s President Director, Christophe Piganiol, was also named as ‘Outstanding Leader in Asia’. He was awarded for his ability to thrive and lead the team which contributed greatly to the growth of the business. He also believes a big aspect of success is the way leader can lead the team with care, which is critical trait as a leader, and it is needed much more than ever now.

“It is our honour to be recognised as one of the ‘community initiative award’ and ‘outstanding leader in Asia’. In APL, sustainability has been embedded in our DNA. Under the four pillars, we took initiatives that aim to help the community and build a healthier future for Indonesia. This recognition will energize us to continue embedding sustainability in all that we do. The distinction that comes from winning as outstanding leader in Asia strengthens my resolve to provide even better conducive environment for the team to develop, and to help the community at large with a particular focus to develop the next generation of leaders who are passionate to drive innovation that makes healthcare more accessible to the Indonesian people,” said Christophe Piganiol, President Director, APL.